In This Life, The Greatest Star In The Universe

"Hoo."

When we returned to the singers’ seats, Hanjo held out his hand.

"Good job."

"Thanks."

We lightly bumped hands, laughed, and sat down.

A hot wave of heat rose from inside my dress shirt, like steam was pouring out of my whole body.

I fanned myself with my hand and laughed.

"Whew, it’s hot."

"Me too."

"Do you want to put some ice water on your face too?"

When I handed over the ice water the managers had given us, the youngest carefully pressed a bottle of mineral water against his neck.

"So cool...."

"That feels nice."

The sensation was so cold it almost stung, and slowly the heat began to fade.

The ending stage was great and all, but this part wasn’t so great.

The presenter was already walking out to announce the Grand Prize, and we were still flushed with excitement, not even cooled down yet.

[Next, we will present the Song of the Year award.]

Along with the announcer’s narration, a male actor in a suit walked out.

Joo Chanyoung.

A rookie actor who had shot to stardom this year as the lead of the romance drama Flower Rain, about a love story blooming during a group project.

—Yes....

The actor in his early twenties, his hair neatly slicked back with pomade, swallowed and stepped up to the microphone.

—Hello. I’m actor Joo Chanyoung.

As expected of an actor who had gained huge popularity this year, a loud cheer erupted.

He smiled slightly for a moment, but since it seemed to be his first time presenting at an awards ceremony, he looked visibly nervous.

—Uh... a lot of things happened this year. In politics, the economy, society, culture—there were many events. And I think a lot happened in the music industry as well.

There were so many great songs in the music industry this year.

After reciting the usual line—among all these songs, which one will become Song of the Year—the rookie actor took a deep breath and said,

—Then let’s meet the nominees.

Immediately, a VCR began playing on the massive screen.

[Serenity, Party Girl]

Under a blue sky with colorful balloons floating through the air,

a scene from the music video played where girl group members in shorts and sandals ran along the beach.

The song, which had been named one of the biggest hits of the first half of the year along with Coin, drew cheers.

[Street Boys, 52 Hertz Whale]

A whale made with CGI floated through a starry night sky.

A scene from the music video passed by where the boyish main vocalist Giwon stretched out his hand toward the whale with wistful eyes.

Cheers burst out for the song’s romantic hip hop sound.

[Teen Spirit, Forgotten]

A dark, eerie warehouse.

Flames burning in various places.

Screams erupted at the sight of beautiful boys with a decadent aura performing intense group choreography.

The members of Teen Spirit smiled with satisfaction at the fans’ joyful profanity.

[Hong Saetbyeol, A Cup of Coffee (Feat. Yoo Jaechan)]

A refreshing sound mixed with djembe drums.

In a café setting, a man and a woman leaned back to back while singing a ballad.

As the song about asking a crush out for coffee played, gentle cheers spread through the crowd.

And then.

[NewBlack, Dokkaebi]

As the video of us dancing against the backdrop of famous landmarks began to play—

"Grrrrrrrr!"

"Kyaaaah!"

The Souffle who had been lying in wait revealed themselves.

It sounded like monsters bursting out of a cave after spotting prey.

Seeing the other singers look frightened, we smiled with satisfaction.

‘Strong. Souffle.’

Even the rookie actor serving as presenter trembled slightly at the overwhelming wall of sound.

Holding the cue cards, actor Joo Chanyoung swallowed and asked,

—Wh... who will be the Song of the Year winner?

At those words, fans of every singer in the venue erupted in a roar.

That’s right.

This place wasn’t a goblin’s lair... but Gocheok Dome, filled with adorable fans.

While listening to those cheers, we straightened ourselves up.

‘This one is definitely likely.’

The Song of the Year award given by MCA usually favors hit songs released early in the year.

A song released in January inevitably has higher cumulative streaming numbers than one released in September or October.

In that sense, Dokkaebi, which came out this January, was the most likely candidate.

—...Then I will announce the winner.

"Kyaaaaaaaah!"

"Grrrr!"

Looking intimidated by the cheers, the rookie actor looked into the camera and said,

—Yes, co... congratulations! Souffle!

"Kyaak?"

"Grrrk?"

For a moment everyone went, ‘Huh?’ and the actor hurriedly corrected himself.

—Ah, congratulations! NewBlack!

"Waaaaaaaaa!"

"Waaaah!"

Amid the cheers erupting everywhere, we stood up.

After bowing to the surrounding singers who congratulated us, we stepped down from the singers’ seats.

Fans waved Dalbong light sticks in the aisle leading to the stage.

"Guys!"

"Congratulations...!"

Seeing the fans whose eyes were already wet, I smiled along with them.

Then we faced actor Joo Chanyoung, who was waiting for us on stage holding the trophy.

The actor, now wearing a slightly miserable expression because of his slip of the tongue, held out the trophy.

"Congratulations."

"Thank you."

The actor stepped back, and we stood in front of the microphone.

—First of all, I’d like to thank actor Joo Chanyoung for sending such a witty acceptance message.

Soft laughter spread through the audience.

—Actually, he called it correctly. This isn’t just an award for us. It’s one Souffle should receive together with us.

Souffle cheered adorably.

—Every time, I tell myself I should stay calm about awards, but when we actually receive one, I’m really happy. Especially since I’m someone who directly makes music, the Song of the Year award feels even more meaningful.

Holding the bouquet and trophy in my arms, I smiled.

—About three minutes, right? When I think about the length of a single song made by dedicating three or four months, it often feels painfully short. I want to include more stories. I want to show more things.

The members nodded.

—But lately I’ve started thinking maybe that short time is actually the charm. Because those three minutes let us come a little closer to you. If NewBlack released a ten hour special track, no one would listen to it.

"I would!!" someone shouted, making me laugh.

—Thank you. Then we’ll definitely release a ten hour song. It’s a promise, okay?

The members and I wiggled our thumbs and pinkies like making a promise.

After softening the atmosphere with a joke, I finished the speech.

—Being nominated for Song of the Year, and then winning it, makes me feel really happy because it means we truly reached so many people.

Three minutes during your commute.

Three minutes on public transportation on your way to school.

Three minutes playing in the background while you cook or wash dishes.

Each one is short, but when they’re added together, it becomes an enormous amount of time. And that makes me incredibly happy.

After sharing those thoughts, I stepped back slightly.

—I love you all.

—This year we....

While listening to the members’ acceptance speeches, I turned the trophy over in my hands.

I had heard we had a high chance of winning, so I had tried to stay calm this year.

But winning an award still felt good.

After we all said everything we wanted to say together, we stepped down from the stage.

"Congratulations!"

"Congrats."

We smiled back at those congratulating us and sat down again.

Not long after, our name was called again.

—Album of the Year, NewBlack! Congratulations!

This time it was the Album of the Year award.

Our full length album had also succeeded on the digital charts, even though the 990,000 first week sales weren’t reflected.

After receiving the album award, we came back and drank some water.

"Hey. But if this happens...."

"It might be happening."

Whispering among ourselves, we widened our eyes.

When they had been handing out things like “New Super Ultra Award!” and “Anyway the Best Award!” to Teen Spirit and Street Boys during the main awards, we had already had a faint intuition...

But were they really going to give us all three?

As we sat there with slightly tense expressions—

—Yes, Artist of the Year.

At the name that was called, the members and I froze.

—Congratulations. NewBlack...!

A triple crown of Grand Prizes at a music awards ceremony.

It was the first time such a thing had happened since the awards ceremony began.

[Uh....]

On TV, the NewBlack members stood in front of the microphone with stunned expressions.

When they had won Song of the Year, the members had been shouting “Yes!” with joy, but now their eyes were simply wide.

[We really didn’t expect to receive awards in a row.]

But unlike the members, who gave their acceptance speeches with dazed expressions, the netizens watching looked rather unsurprised.

‘Exactly as expected.’

Unlike the people involved, it wasn’t that shocking for netizens.

Song of the Year, Album of the Year, Artist of the Year.

It was simply an awards ceremony where the artists who deserved it received the awards.

Because of that, the usual “fuck” and “damn bastards” comments that appeared every year during Grand Prize announcements were nowhere to be seen this time.

[Breaking] NewBlack sweeps Mango Chart Awards with triple Grand Prize win

Winning multiple Grand Prizes wasn’t uncommon.

But even then it was usually only a double crown.

Everyone found it fascinating to see the first ever triple crown.

—Amazing lol

—Gyuho is probably crying right now

—NewBlack deserves it

—There’s nothing to argue about, they gave it based on results

—But the biggest thing is there’s no backlash; their results this year were just that overwhelming

—Clean

—Honestly the quietest Grand Prize reaction in history lol

Most fans were simply fascinated, and there were hardly any reactions saying it didn’t make sense.

Just like how no one criticizes giving first place to the student who gets perfect scores in every subject.

Seeing those reactions made Souffle feel strangely happy.

‘This really was our boys’ year.’

Starting with Dokkaebi and Coin, which dominated domestic charts, and even METRO reaching number one on Billboard.

It was a career at the very peak.

To the point that it would be hard to guarantee they could achieve the same results next year.

But despite such results, a faint anxiety still crept in.

‘Ah... but the antis are going to go crazy about this....’

Souffle were already worried about the backlash that would come in the future.

Winning one or two Grand Prizes was different from sweeping them all.

It meant the fighting power that used to be directed at rival candidates would now all focus on NewBlack.

There would °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° definitely be far stronger pressure and attacks from every direction than ever before.

—At this rate any group will just be second place after NewBlack

—If NewBlack didn’t exist Serenity, Sbo, and Teens would have split the Grand Prizes this year lol

—But these awards are boring lol

—Ten years later this period will probably be remembered as the most boring era

—Tenty got the last easy win lol

—What’s the point for other idol fans cheering anymore~~

Seeing antis subtly provoking the fans of other idol groups who had been Grand Prize candidates, Souffle sighed.

‘We’ll deal with that later.’

Even if worries appeared, it was a problem to solve later.

Right now the most important thing was sharing the joy with the members.

[There were really many miraculous things this year.]

Biju said with a smile.

[Thank you so much to everyone. Next year we’ll try even harder than this year to create an even better year.]

Fans.

Grateful people.

The NewBlack members carefully thanked acquaintances and supporters while giving a composed Grand Prize acceptance speech.

At first they had looked stunned, but now everyone’s eyes were red.

[Next year we’ll continue working day and night to become better singers and better people.]

[Thank you! ...Huh? Hyuk, do you have more to say?]

At Jiho’s words, Ri Hyuk, holding a bouquet, rubbed his red nose and said,

[Thank you so much. I’m so happy. I think I won’t be able to sleep tonight.]

[I’ll stay with you.]

Jiho laughed and stepped closer to Ri Hyuk, giving him a light hug, and the others piled on like a sandwich.

And so the Artist of the Year acceptance speech ended.

Meanwhile, after the TV broadcast ended and the singers waved together on stage while exchanging greetings—

[NewBlack’s Grand Prize acceptance speech today]

[Hanjo’s hip hop magic wand stage trending]

[Price of the Vertier sponsored dress worn by Scarlet’s Lina]

Acceptance speeches, performances, visuals.

As always after a music awards ceremony, topics exploded online.

Among them was one hot post.

[The undeniable figure of this year’s music industry]

People who expected names like Sun Wooju or Kim Deokchun clicked the post.

Instead, a photo of a bald CEO smiling brightly appeared.

The undeniable winner

He has both Scarlet and NewBlack

PS. But he still doesn’t have hair

—(photo of Sun Wooju frowning.jpg) ???: The CEO didn’t do well, I did, damn it

—Facts from the first comment lol

—The PS is evil lol seriously

—But Gyuho did spend a lot of money though lol give him some credit

—Is Gyuho seriously not giving Wooju shares

—Ri Hyuk’s last words: I can’t sleep -> Gyuho probably can’t either

—Every night a ghost whispering “Re contract... 958 days...” in his ear

—Honestly any company would get those results if they poured money into Sun Wooju

People said the company’s fate depended on the direction of the leader who had created this enormous success.

And that CEO Park Gyuho would certainly be concerned about it.

That was true.

[Maha Prajna Paramita....]

‘I have to calm this anxiety. Calm it down.’

A company CEO trying to calm his anxiety while playing Buddhist scriptures.

But auditory hallucinations kept echoing in his head.

—CEO. Thank you for everything. I’ll be leaving now.

—Huh? Wooju hyung is leaving?

—We’ll head out too! Kyahaha!

He already knew NewBlack had recently achieved tremendous results.

But now that he had personally received the report card labeled “triple crown,” the anxiety he had always felt began to creep up again.

There were still nearly three years left until contract renewal, but he couldn’t help feeling anxious already.

"Ughhh."

While CEO Park Gyuho searched for ways to relieve his anxiety—

another new topic appeared online while discussions about the MCA awards were still spreading.

[Charcoal fans~ am I the only one who has this?]

It was about the identity of the “winning” gold coins NewBlack had thrown from the stage.

A little later.

Kim Sutbul arrived near the Lemon Entertainment building, at the place called “Newridan Street.”

‘Is it there?’

Seeing a group of strangers awkwardly gathered together, it had to be the right place.

Kim Sutbul approached the group of about twenty people and cautiously asked,

"Excuse me."

"Yes?"

"Is this it? The gold coin thing?"

"Yes, that’s right."

Kim Sutbul stood there with a relieved expression.

‘So this is the place.’

The reason she had come here was the gold coin she had received during NewBlack’s ending stage.

A mysterious gold coin with the word “Winning” written on it.

She had posted it online, but no one knew what it meant.

—First prize?? Mine doesn’t say that

—I got second place

—Maybe free tickets for a concert or showcase?? Their concerts have been huge lately

—Probably merchandise

—You should probably ask the company directly

She had been about to ask when a notice was posted.

[Prize Notice]

The identity of the gold coins NewBlack had thrown to fans holding Dalbong and Wangbong light sticks on the extended stage.

Third and second prizes were vouchers to purchase merchandise.

And the grand first prize was—

[Newridan Street Tour Guide]

Lemon Entertainment would give them a tour of Newridan Street.

‘Th... this is like NewBlack and the Chocolate Factory!’

It reminded her of the story where a kind chocolate factory owner selects five children and gives them a tour.

Of course, in that fairy tale everyone except the protagonist met a terrible fate....

But the Souffle gathered here simply smiled happily.

‘This is amazing!’

A free tour including the “NewBlack experience course” on Newridan Street!

Judging by the survey planned afterward, it seemed to be some kind of new tourism product Newridan Street was planning.

But hearing that the members themselves had designed the route and benefits made her feel relieved.

‘Our boys don’t do things halfway. They must have prepared the best.’

Kim Sutbul smiled contentedly.

At Tokyo Dome she had won Ri Hyuk’s wings as a prize, and now she had won a Newridan Street tour.

‘The luckiest Kim Sutbul of all time!’

Just as she was grinning happily—

"Ahem."

A man appeared accompanied by several staff members, drawing small murmurs of admiration.

‘Wasn’t he the PR team leader?’

Someone who appeared often on NewBlack TV.

The man, who looked slightly tired but friendly, checked the attendance.

"Everyone is here. Then we will begin the tour now."

"Yes!"

"As you were informed in advance, this is a course personally designed by the NewBlack members."

"Ooooooh!"

"So I bear no responsibility...."

What?

What did he just say...?

The Souffle who were about to ask froze at what happened next.

Shhhhhrrr.

A red carpet began rolling out across the middle of Newridan Street.

"......?"

Then music suddenly started playing, and performers resembling a traditional percussion troupe appeared from somewhere and surrounded them.

Tourists began gathering at the sudden event.

"What’s going on?"

"Looks like NewBlack fans."

"Oh my."

"Is this the traditional Korean culture we’ve heard about, honey?"

"No. Absolutely not. It’s not Korean."

The twenty tourists who had suddenly become the center of attention were still bewildered.

Shop owners had also come out to watch.

The percussion troupe stopped playing, and their leader shouted in an exaggerated folk village tone,

"May we see the gold coins?"

"...Here."

People nervously held out the coins from their pockets.

After pretending to carefully examine them, the man said,

"Oh! They are genuine!"

Immediately the percussion troupe burst into music again, and the owners of nearby restaurants bowed respectfully.

"We greet the honored guests who have brought gold coins!"

"We greet the honored guests!"

Dancing joyfully, they welcomed them as tourists and passersby began filming the celebrating Souffle.

Flap—

A banner fluttered on a flag held by the troupe.

[Today you will be treated like kings.]

Her face burning with embarrassment, Kim Sutbul covered her face with both hands.

‘What kind of prize is this!’

She thought it was a prize.

But it was actually a punishment.